In the advertising world, Andrew Cherwenka encountered many frustrated clients. The root of their displeasure? The inability to draw sales from social media traffic. The Toronto-based former ad man contends he has a solution. His startup, Authintic, co-founded with Christopher Berry, a data scientist, has developed software to harvest valuable personal information from social media users, most notably those on Facebook. Authintic helps companies set up digital programs that ask users for key information — such as location, age and interests — in exchange for points or rewards. That information is used to target those potential customers with sales, promotions, or any other company communications. The goal is simple: increase sales. Formed last September, Authintic is now at a critical juncture: its technology is in use by an initial customer, outdoor apparel specialist The North Face. If all goes well, the campaign will prove its software can boost sales of big brands. Mr. Cherwenka, Authintic’s CEO, recently discussed his company’s progress with Quentin Casey. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

QAre most marketers and brands puzzled by how to draw sales from social media?

A Yes. Marketers spent a lot money building up their social media presence. Many marketers have millions of Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Facebook is great for brand building and contests and promotions. But it’s not great for sales.

That was the challenge The North Face came to us with. They asked, ‘Can you help us draw more value out of our three million Facebook fans? Can you tell us who they are and help us communicate to them directly?’ The answer is: ‘Yes, but only with their approval.’

QSo how do you get that approval? How do you access the data?

A As an example, The North Face started a rewards program called VIPeak. Users register for the program through Facebook using our application. It’s a simple registration form that asks for name, email, date of birth, address and interests. That’s the stuff marketers really want, and in exchange the user receives reward points.

QHow does that information help the company?

A It can be used by The North Face to send personalized emails to each member. If you send a yoga-specific email to people who said they like yoga, then the conversion of that email blast is much higher. It’s two to six times as effective as sending out a general email blast. And we believe our software will push those numbers even higher.

QHow so?

A Their challenge to us was this: ‘Can you give us more data? We want to know not only that they’re into yoga, but that they’re female and live in New York and are 36 years old.’ More data means more personalization, which means higher sales conversions. And there’s so much information inside Facebook that’s sitting unused. We’re able to help you get it, and process it so it’s useful.

QWhat’s the potential if this deal goes well?

A The potential for The North Face is more sales. For us, there’s potential to attract other innovative brands. Our target is to secure 10 big clients by the end of this year.

QWhat’s the biggest challenge?

A The challenge is pushing brands past their reluctance to ask for and use social media data. People are so frustrated with the gap between social media and commerce that they don’t believe it’s possible.

QWhy are they frustrated?

A Because social commerce didn’t take off. Marketers thought people would buy things inside Facebook. But they only use it to share photos with friends and make status updates. They’ll ‘like’ a brand but they’re not going to buy a jacket inside Facebook. Every marketer we talk to says the same thing: ‘We’re not getting much business out of Facebook.’

QAnd you’re confident you can draw more revenue from that social media data?

A When you get three million people in one room you should be able to do something with them. Our technology will enable companies to turn social data into new business. The industry phase is ‘getting a return on investment from social media’. That’s the challenge.